Senator Boxer:  Asian Pacific American Heritage Month   

Wednesday, May 16, 2007  

Please join me this May as we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It was originally established as Asian Pacific American Heritage Week in 1977 by a Congressional Resolution. In 1992, Congress expanded the week into a month to recognize the countless contributions that Asian Pacific Americans have made to our country.

The Asian Pacific American (APA) community is one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. With 14.4 million residents and growing, APA’s contribute greatly to every aspect of life in America, just as they have throughout our history.

This year’s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month theme is “Meeting the Challenges for Asian Pacific Americans.” As a Senator from California, which has close to 5 million APA residents, I am working hard to address the many issues of importance to the APA community, such as immigration reform, education and health care.

I am the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, which has jurisdiction over U.S. relations with many nations that are critical to California’s trade and security interests. As Chair, I have been working on issues such as peace and stability in East Asia and the Pacific, human rights issues, environmental protection, and the economy.

Sincerely,